In the weeks leading up to this year's Holiday Arts Tour, NCLAC will be posting articles about the participating artists here on the blog and on NCLAC's Facebook page. In addition, we will include featured artists in our e-blasts. To subscribe to our mailing list, visit our official site and signup for our Newsletter.
Slaughterhead, a husband and wife team consisting of Joey Slaughter and Jessica Head Slaughter, is featured this week.

About Slaughterhead
The Slaughters live in Ruston, Louisiana with their three-year-old son, Sylas, and infant daughter, Eero.

They make fun, functional, and durable wallets, pouches, and bags using PVC-free, 100% urethane for the exteriors and repurposed linens for the linings. This endeavor began with a wallet Jessica made for Joey on his birthday six years ago, and it has grown to include two bifold wallet styles, two large pocketbook wallet bodies, three what-not pouch sizes, and an assortment of bags.

Slaughterhead's Vision
Slaughterhead intends to help individuals organize bits of their lives. We create wallets, pouches, and bags to give people a fun place to store their daily items. We have all waited in line behind too many people who try to stuff ineffective wallets back into their bags.

Our wallets and pouches are simple, yet fully functional, with pockets in just the right places.
In addition to function, we are also concerned with the materials we use and their impact on the environment. Our linings are re-purposed linens collected locally, and the exteriors are a synthetic PVC-free urethane that looks and feels like leather but is vegan-friendly.
We shop locally as often as possible and do our best to minimize or use our scrap materials.

Incorporating design is also an important factor in the process of building the wallets. The use of color and line created through stitching and/or screenprinting gives the work a very unique and handmade feel.

Our business name, Slaughterhead, is the combination of our last names, because we create these items together as a team. I do the sewing, and Joey screenprints and/or laser cuts the exteriors.

Slaughterhead on Slaughterhead (a.k.a. Jessica on Slaughterhead)
1. What's your favorite memory of the arts, and/or how did you become interested in art?

I've always been interested in "making things." I created furniture, clothes, etc. for dolls as a child. I built miniature environments from paper in my closet. I loved making dioramas. Making and building in a creative way were an important part of my childhood, spurred by seeing my grandfather make and build in his shop.

2. What is something that inspires, influences, and/or drives you as an artist?

Living with an artist inspires me, as does surrounding myself with other people involved in the arts. Growing things is also inspiring to me. I am driven by the need to mkae items that people will enjoy using, things that will help them organize a little part of their lives.

3. How do you feel about perfection in art?

Perfection isn't possible, and if it were, then what would be the point in making anything else? It would get boring quickly.

4. What, if anything, do you hope others get from your art?

Since I make functional work, I hope people get an effective item of good quality that they enjoy using.

5. Which do you think is smarter for a working artist: pricing work affordably to make it more accessible or pricing work high to make it more precious? Why?

Such a big question! As a maker of small functional items, I try to make items that fit into each category. People can "save" for buying more expensive, precious items, or get a quick fix with a smaller more inexpensive item. I think it often depends on your audience as well.

Jessica on Jessica
1. Who were your childhood heroes?

My Aunt Carol. I respected her education, her parenting skills, and her compassion.

2. What is the greatest compliment anyone has ever paid you? What about the greatest insult? How did you respond?

Repeat customers are my biggest compliments. My biggest insult was an online customer requesting to return an item she ordered, saying it wasn't of sufficient quality. I responded by accepting the return, of course, and reminding myself that it took four years for the first return, so I shouldn't feel too bad about it.